Sears Holdings
National retail chain with Sears and Kmart stores.
Headquarters:
3333 Beverly Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
Employees: 312,000
CEO: Louis D'Ambrosio
Stock Symbol: SHLD
Website: http://www.searsholdings.com
Career Site
Sears Holdings is the nation's third-largest retailer formed in 2005 with the merger of Sears Roebuck & Co. and Kmart. The company operates over 4,000 stores nationwide.
Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer in North America and is a retail sales leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics, and automotive repair and maintenance. Key brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart.
Sears has 894 full-line stores and 1,354 specialty stores in the U.S. There are 122 full-line Sears stores in Canada and 361 specialty stores. Kmart has 1,307 discount stores, averaging 92,000 square feet and SuperCenters averaging 165,000 square feet. The average Kmart store carries between 60,000 and 80,000 products while the superstores have 100,000-150,000 products.
The company has 52 Sears Essentials/Grand stores located in 24 states. These stores are primarily free-standing units averaging 117,000 square feet, offering health and beauty products, pantry goods, household products and toys in addition to the offerings of the typical mall-based store. There are 22 Sears Essentials/Grand stores that operate in-store pharmacies. 2
There are 768 Sears Auto Centers operating in association with fullline stores and 19 Sears Auto Centers operating out of Sears Essentials/Grand stores. In addition, there are 30 free standing Sears Auto Centers that operate independently.
Sears is the largest provider of product repair services with more than 11 million service calls made annually.
Eddie Lampert is the Chairman of Sears Holdings and is well-known as a hedge fund manager and investor.
In fiscal 2010, Sears Holdings reported revenues of $43.3 billion, down 1.6%, and net income of $133 million.
Due to weak sales during the holiday season, the company announced it will close 100-120 Sears and K-Mart stores in 2012.
History
In 1886, Richard Sears began the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis. In 1887, Sears settles in the company's first Chicago location and hires a watchmaker named Alvah C. Roebuck. The company formed a catalog in 1888 featuring watches and jewelry.
In 1893, the company's name becomes Sears, Roebuck and Co. The company would launch its first general catalog in 1896 which would allow millions of Americans to shop from home and receive goods via mail.
The first Sears Roebuck retail store opened in 1925 in a catalog center on Chicago's west side. Sears would launch the Kenmore appliance and Craftsman hardware brands in 1927.
In 1973, Sears would move its headquarters to Sears Tower in Chicago, which was then the world's tallest building.
In 1899, Sebastian S. Krege founded the S. S. Kredge stores. The company would expand and by 1962, opened its first Kmart discount store in the Detroit area. The S.S. Kredge company changed its name to Kmart Corp. in 1977.
In 2002, Kmart filed for bankruptcy and closed 600 stores. It emerged from Chapter 11 a year later under the leadership of Edward Lampert, a hedge fund manager. Lampert led the merger with Sears in 2004 and is now the company's chairman.
Benefits
The following are offered to employees of both Kmart and Sears but may vary depending on position
- Medical coverage
- Dental plan
- Legal plan
- 401(k) savings plan
- Flexible Spending Account
- Associate discount
- Tuition reimbursement
- Short-term and Long-term Disability Insurance
- Vacation and holidays
The Sears headquarters campus in Hoffman Park, IL offers the following:
· Fitness Center
· Recreation Leagues
· Childcare Center
· Associate Referral Program
· Hair Salon
· Auto Center
· Pharmacy
· Dry Cleaners
· Bank
· Optical Center
· Health Center
· Sample Store
· Cafeteria
· Deli
· Sears Center Box Office
· Business Casual Dress Code
Updated December 28, 2011
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